Safety clip



194s; R. E. BARBER 2,405,E76

SAFETY CLII' Filed June 19, 1944 INVENTOR RoyEBaz-ber' 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 6, 1 946 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE Roy E. Barber, Berkeley, Calif.

Application June 19, 1944, Serial No. 540,968

This invention relates to, and it is an object to provide, an improved safety clip for pens and pencils; such clip being arranged to firmly attach the pen or pencil to a persons pocket whereby to prevent accidental loss or unauthorized withdrawal of said pen or pencil therefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide a clip, for the purpose described, which includes quick releasable, spring actuated means to positively engage a persons pocket.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a pen or pencil clip, as above, which includes, with an attaching member, a hollow finger-like housing depending alongside the pen or pencil in spaced parallel relation, a pivotally mounted swing lever disposed in the housing, the upper end of the lever including an outwardly projecting finger piece and the lower end including an inwardly projecting garment engaging prong, the housing being cut away so as to permit said finger piece and prong to extend outside said housing, and a spring in the housing engaging said lever and urging the latter in a direction to project said prong outside the housing and into a garment portion disposed between the housing and pen or pencil.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly eifective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the clip as in use; the housing being in section.

Figure 2 is a similar view but showing the clip as released for removal of the pen or pencil from the pocket.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the clip, detached.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the clip, detached.

Figure 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the numeral I indicates the barrel of a pen or pencil, which barrel includes a removable head 2.

The safety clip to which this invention relates comprises the following:

An attachment ring or collar 3 is engaged, symmetrically, between the head 2 and the adjacent end of barrel I in non-movable relation; such attaghment collar including a laterally extending nec 4.

2 Claims. (Cl. 2411) An elongated clip or'finger-like'housing 5 de-' pends from the neck 4' in adjacent but spaced parallel relationship alongside the barrel I. The finger-like housing 5 includes a front wall 6 and a back wall I, and said housing is closed and rounded at its lower end as at 8.

A lever 9 is disposed within the hollow housing 5 and extends for substantially the full length of the latter, said lever 9 being pivoted, intermediate its ends, as at ID, for swinging movement at its lower end toward and away from the barrel I. The front wall 6 is cut away adjacent its upper end to provide an opening II through which a rounded finger-piece I2 on the upper end of the lever 9 is adapted to project, and the back wall 'I having its lower portion cut away to provid an opening I3 through which the corresponding portion of said lever 9 can swing inwardly beyond the vertical plane of the remaining portion of said wall.

The lever 5 is of substantial width and is formed with parallel sides which engage with a close running fit with corresponding sides I4 of the housing 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, whereby swinging movement of said lever is guided.

At its lower end the lever 9 includes an inwardly projecting, garment engaging prong I5, and a bowed leaf spring I6 is secured onto the inner face of back wall I and engages the lever 9 above its pivot III, whereby to normally urge said lever in a direction to cause the prong I5 and the corresponding part of said lever to swing out of the housing 5 and toward the barrel I.

When the above described safety clip is in use the front ll of the pocket is engaged between the barrel I and depending housing 5, as clearly shown in Fig. l; the prong l5, under the influence of the spring I6, being engaged with the front of the pocket and thus effectively prevent- I ing escape of the pen or pencil from said pocket.

To release the pen or pencil from the pocket, the rounded finger-piece I2 is engaged and depressed inwardly, which causes the lever 9 to swing about its pivot ID in a direction to retract the prong I5 into said housing 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the pen or pencil can be readily withdrawn from the pocket.

From the foregoingdescription it will be readily seen that I have produced such a, device as.

substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth h'erein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety clip for a pen or pencil comprising an elongated, hollow finger-like housing, means to secure the housing to the upper portion of a pen or pencil with the housing extending in substantial parallelism with such pen or pencil, the inner face of the housing being open at the bottom portion thereof, and the outer face of the housing being open at the top portion thereof, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends at a point in the housing intermediate the openings therein, yieldable means normally maintaining the upper and lower ends of the lever projected out of the top and bottom openings, respectively, of the housing, a garment engaging means on the lower end of the lever and a, finger-engagin piece on p the upper end i the lever.

2. A safety clip for a pen or pencil comprising an elongated, hollow finger-like housing, means to secure the housing to the upper portion of a pen or pencil with the housing extending in substantial parallelism with such pen or pencil, the inner face of the housing being open at the bottom portion thereof, and the outer face of the housing being open at the top portion thereof, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends at a point in the housing intermediate the openings therein, a bowed leaf spring engaged between the inner back wall of the housing and the lever at a point above the pivotal axis of the latter whereby to normally maintain the upper and lower ends of the lever projected out of the top and bottom openings, respectively, of the housing, a garment engaging means on the lower end of the lever, and a finger-engaging piece on the upper end of the lever.

ROY E. BARBER. 

